Independent Learning
by TheBoy1004
Summary: James tells a reluctant and angsty James Sirius something very important. Will James listen through the lecture?


A/N: Prompts for Quidditch League FanFiction Competition: "beyond the darkness" and "Don't tell me what to do!". TheBoy1004, Beater 1 for Tutshill Tornadoes.

Independent Learning: A Quidditch Season Fanfic

Harry got ready to call for his son, knowing that his son would snap at him and be angsty with him.

"James? James? James, where are you? I want to talk to you!" Harry called for his 12 year old son. Ever since coming back from Hogwarts, James was in a foul mood, no longer the prankster that he and Ginny knew and loved. Harry was getting worried about him, because of the way he got mad at his family or complained that he wasn't allowed to use magic anymore. Soon, Harry had decided to talk to him. James needed it. James came down, looking mad about something. Harry knew that what he was about to tell his son was pretty deep.

"What is it, Dad?" James asked, trying to keep his tone soft. Harry chuckled, but stopped after seeing the appalled look on James' face. "Not another lecture…"

"Depends on how you want to look at it. I believe that you need this talk. You've been very unhappy and dark lately. Anything wrong?"

"Yes." James said. He was feeling unhappy. "I feel that I can do better in Hogwarts, because everybody is beating me! Everybody, Dad, everybody! People continually make fun of me! It's just not fair. I can't do anything better than anybody."

"Well, you're not the only one who was made fun of at Hogwarts. There was this kid named Draco who would never pass up a chance to make fun of me. This continued to happen, and it got worse when I learned that he was a Death Eater. He got better when your uncle, aunt, and I saved his life twice in the same night. But that's not what I want to talk to you about."

"Well, what do you want to talk about then?" James was beginning to get frustrated with his dad for beating around the bush instead of cutting to the chase.

"Well, I always told myself to read in between the lines of an insult and find something funny, like a Boggart. When Draco bullied me and pushed me around, I found funny things in his insults and made excellent comebacks."

"Yeah…" James yawned. He was bored, and he wanted exciting things.

"The key to this, James, is the power to look beyond the darkness and find happiness even in the saddest of times. We all need to do it to become successful in life. To not come across as a big hothead. James, think of something funny in a statement when they say something to you…"

James got up bolt upright. "WHAT?! That's it? I listen to you for five minutes of my time, and all I get is a useless lecture that won't help me at all in life! I don't enjoy your lectures!"

Harry got up. "James, please just listen for one second-"

"NO! JUST NO! I'M TIRED OF THESE LECTURES THAT MAKE NO SENSE! DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I CAN DO STUFF BY MYSELF! IN YOUR TIME, YOU COULD MAKE COMEBACKS! NOW, THEY JUST DON'T LISTEN! I CAN BE INDEPENDENT!"

James just kept going on and on, leaving no chances for Harry to stop him. How could he be independent if he couldn't handle looking beyond the darkness and seeing happiness in everything. Soon, Harry began to get frustrated. He wanted to tell James off for not listening to him and being a total prat.

"JAMES! PLEASE BE QUIET NOW!" Harry yelled out. James looked at him, not able to say anything. Harry was shocked. James had finally listened to him. Then James started again.

"Dad, you don't know how terrible I feel when I think of stuff like that. I want to be alone. I don't want assistance from my parents. I'm twelve and I don't need help anymore."

"James, please just list-"

"NO! I WON'T LISTEN. EVERY TIME I TRY TO LISTEN, EVERYTHING BECOMES WORSE! IT'S FRUSTRATING, NEEDING PARENTAL HELP EVERY SINGLE STEP OF THE WAY!"

Harry saw the hurt in James' eyes, but thought it was wise to stay quiet. After a bit, though, Harry cracked.

"JAMES! YOU'RE TWELVE AND NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING OF AGE! THE ONLY REASON I DIDN'T GET ANY HELP IS BECAUSE THE RELATIVES THAT I WENT TO DURING SUMMER BREAKS WERE TOTAL CRAP!"

James began quieting down, but he was still angry.

"It's not just grades, people began making fun of me that I was going to be the first person to be expelled at Hogwarts after a year. I tried pranking people, because that's what I like best, but I got two month's detention for that. Nobody got more than ten detentions. I got 61! 61 DETENTIONS! THAT'S WHY I WAS MADE FUN OF! I COULDN'T FOCUS ON WORK FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR! I SCRAPED 'A' IN EVERY SUBJECT BECAUSE I WANTED TO SHOW THOSE IDIOTS WHAT I'M MADE OF!"

Harry was feeling mixed emotions after hearing this. He was hurt that James tried to be his fun-loving personality, but nobody allowed it. After all, James wrote in letters that he liked the teachers, especially Neville, the new Herbology teacher.

James stalked back up to his room in fury. Harry was feeling mixed emotions about his son. James came and complained about his problems, but denied assistance? Harry was hurt, but knew that soon James would require that skill, and not just for grades, but for the real world. Still, Harry couldn't stop but feeling guilty.

"Bugger."

James paced back and forth in his room, before realizing that his father was right: looking beyond the darkness helped. He laughed. Laughed maniacally. Laughed at those idiots who made fun of his grades, thinking how abysmal their grades were. He didn't want his father telling him what to do, but was in a better mood. He went out of his room to go play a prank on Albus.

THE END.

A/N: This is meant for Quidditch. You can review, but don't be harsh with them. Leave that to the judges. Thanks!


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